Ayub Abdul Gani, 61, has been a smoker for four decades. But he kicked the addiction to help his ailing son, who is a doctor.

“My father is my hero,” said Dr Mohamad Zulkifli (above, right), 27.

His father, a former labourer, had donated one of his kidneys to save Zulkifli, who was diagnosed with fifth-stage renal failure in 2020.

Zuklifli, who is working with a government hospital in Kelantan, said he was first diagnosed with the disease when he was a medical student at the International Islamic University.

However, he continued to pursue his medical degree despite having an internal jugular catheter (IJC) on his neck.

“I went here and there with the ICJ wire on my neck, “ he said in a Tiktok video.

“After studies, I went for hemodialysis.

“At the time, I felt like giving up on my ambition (to become a doctor),” added Zulkifli, who has six siblings.

Speaking to Malaysiakini, the doctor said he underwent the kidney transplant procedure at Hospital Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.

According to Zulkifli, the surgery went well and both he and his father are recovering.